SC - Guilty Conscience

[James L. Matterer]

Elaina wrote: If you were a heavy weapons fighter, and someone asked you
to help run a tournament with plastic water pistols and paint-ball guns
(because they are 'fun') would you feel guilty for declining?

If you were a costumer, and were asked to help do garb for the royal
entourage and they wanted Napoleonic era uniforms ('cause they look
really 'cool') would you feel guilty for declining?

Cooking is our art.  We know how to do it right.  Don't feel guilty for
doing it the right way.

   Thank you Elaina, for this lovely letter. You put into words almost
the exact thinking I had the last time this happened to me. If some of
you remember, my last contribution to this list was a response to the
"Autocrat on a Spit" thread which brought me a lot of amusement! I
complained then about the non-period requests I had from the autocrat of
my last feast. Well, that event was our Kingdom's 12th Night, where not
only all the Royalty of our Kingdom was present, but my former Mistress
as well. It was very important for me to do an authentic feast,
obviously, but the autocrat still insisted that I make Empanadas from
her mother's contemporary recipe, non-alcoholic Sangria made from New
world Cranberry juice, and pickled carrots New Mexico style made with
Jalepeno peppers. (She was convinced that as the autocrat of a Kingdom
event, she had the final say in everything.) In addition, she said
someone in our shire was a vegetarian and wouldn't eat meat, therefore I
was obligated to do as many vegetarian dishes as possible. My response
was similar to yours, Elaina. I said that we expect people to show up in
garb to an event, we use titles and show respect to people of rank at
events, and we expect people to behave in a appropriate manner for an
SCA event. I, in turn, expect people to eat Medieval food for the feast.
   In the 20th century, I'm a semi-vegetarian. I never eat red meat, and
avoid salt & sugar like the plague. At an event, however, my persona
eats meat. I don't expect the cook of a feast to cater to any personal
nutrition decison I have made, no more than I expect someone to spend an
entire event in mundane clothing because they find garb uncomfortable.
The autocrat's response: she said she appreciated my standards, but was
afraid that most people wouldn't agree with me! She still expected a
mostly vegetarian feast made from modern recipes. She never got it,
though I was tempted to quit the event and let her figure out the vast
complexities of cooking for 200 people in a kitchen meant to produce
food for only 100.
   Oh - didn't I tell you? The autocrat also obtained for us a site that
legally held only 150 people, with a kitchen that was suitable for just
100 people. She eventually allowed over 300 SCAdians in the hall and
presented me with an on-board list of 180! The entire hall was crammed
to the max and made for a very unpleasant event for everybody. Perhaps
the Society should consider making intelligence tests a requirement for
autocratting Kingdom-level events...
   Does anyone else have similar horror stories? I'm sure we would all
be amused by them! Murkial, you should not feel guilty in the least. You
have made a blow for creative freedom & acknowledgment for all of us SCA
cooks! ;)

Thanks again for letting me vent my frustrations here on the list!
Master Huen
- -- 
                           jlmatterer at labyrinth.net
                  http://www.labs.net/dmccormick/huen.htm
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